Poetry Slam at the Cantab Lounge: 2004 Team Bios

The 2004 team is the first 5-member team in Cantab history. Its members span the range from seasoned slam veteran to out-and-out rookie. The team will compete at the National Poetry Slam in St. Louis, MO.

About the members of the team:

Much to his mother's dismay, Eric Darby seldom eats all his vegetables. He has, however, performed his writing in bars and churches from Minnesota to Maine. He competed in the 2002 and 2003 National Poetry Slam for Team Ann Arbor and was a host and organizer of the Detroit Poetry Slam. His writing has appeared in the "Freedom to Speak" slam anthology, on walls of select public restrooms, and in a couple of literary magazines.

Simone Beaubien makes her home in suburban Massachusetts, working as an EMT and volunteering for the local ultimate disc league. Lifetime nerd and part-time athlete, she was named Spoken Word Female by the 2002 Cambridge Poetry Awards, was a member of the 2001 Cantab Slam team, and has been performing her poetry for nigh-on five years now. She is currently a member of Boston's Off-Broadway Poetry Troupe and super-proud to be rookie slammaster at the world-famous Cantab Lounge in Cambridge.

Samantha Jane Scolamiero doesn't have letters after her name to prove that she knows anything. She has practiced poetry as if it were medicine on retreat with Tich Nhat Han, Ric Masten and Jack McCarthy (who curiously dubbed her a “buzz saw”) on Star Island off NH. There she hand bound her first artist's book of poetry and photography, The Nameless Collection, which was subsequently purchased by patrons who donated it to Vaughn library so it may sit alongside the volumes of Celia Thaxter, with whom she has only this bit of geography in common. When not writing or performing, SJ enjoys sailing aboard the vessel Aleida, whose skippers have taught her more about different cheese than points of sail. She is also founder of The Healing Exchange BRAIN TRUST, a nonprofit helping others coping with brain tumors and related conditions.

Adam Stone has been to five different poetry nationals, representing four different venues. He has never gotten any play from this. He has also not been on the finals stage. He's either a hopeless optimist, or he's one of those rare slammers doing this for the love of poetry. Either way, he's a sucker.

Ansel is a veteran of the Western Mass and Cambridge poetry scenes, and has featured at several readings and schools in the Northampton area. Despite being from Springfield, he is partially literate. His influences range from Stephen Dobyns to George McKibbons to Johnny Rotten. He has received vague compliments from several semi-famous spoken word artists, but forgot to write any of them down for promotional purposes. Ansel takes a BYOB approach to life.

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